Ok the roof hasn’t got a hole in it (for those who know the song!) but the rain is coming down with a vengeance. Some similarity to when we left Dorset, as SH5, the road we took yesterday from Taupo to Napier was closed today after a number of “washouts” caused by the 200mm rain that has fallen.
This weekend is the biggest Christian festival in NZ called Parachute (Greenbelt type) and it is taking place at Hamilton. Guess what - festivals equals, tents equals rain, equals mudbath! Val and Claire do you remember Firm Foundations? Well the TV footage showed the site as a river, with water up to knee level, not quite deep enough for baptism but getting that way!
“When the rain comes you run and hide your head” Ok Ron, I’ll let you off, you weren’t being an old softee and just after a comfy bed!
We found a very friendly Presbyterian church (St Paul’s) this morning, with a 9.15 service. It turned out to be the simple informal fore-runner to their main 10.30 service. As we arrived, they greeted us with lovely fresh coffee and a very warm welcome. We were sitting in front of two Trefoil Guild ladies, one also a Brownie Guider! Following the service we came back to the motel ready to be picked up for our wine tour. This weekend is the wine Harvest Festival with all the Hawkes Bay vieyards celebrating in usual antipodean fashion with good music, fabulous food and of course beer- no, sorry wine in abundance
They were collecting us at 1pm and there had been some mention of a NZ$10 platter lunch, so, understandably, we hadn’t eaten. We’d chosen the tour company we were using as they seemed to be visiting the smaller (boutique) wineries rather than the “big boys” which we’d been recommended to do. They did exactly that, and we spent a fascinating afternoon, visiting 4 different boutique wineries and tasting between 6 and 8 wines and sometimes a port as well at each. The “tasters” were only about 1/5 of a large glass ...but when you work it out, we’d still drunk the best part of a bottle or more each by the end of the afternoon..without lunch, as the weather was so bad, no-one seemed to be bothering with their lunches!
As we arrived at the third winery (Salvare) Ron spotted a Morris Oxford which is obviously the owners pride and joy. Our cellar door host Simon was wearing a T shirt with the estate logo on it (The Morris Oxford) and the words “Slow down and enjoy the journey”. Ron and I were very glad when we got there as we both needed the loo; OK too much information...and as they also produce olive oils, balsamic vinegars etc and you were able to taste these as well – along with a reasonable quantity of bread. Phew! Blotting paper!
The “cellar doors”, as the tasting rooms were known, were generally manned by students of Viticulture in the middle of their degrees, which meant, of course, that they were both passionate and very knowledgeable about their wines. I’m not sure they were quite expecting Ron’s technical questions tho!
The last site we visited (Matariki Wines) is named after the Maori name for the star cluster Pleiades. In our party was a young Japanese lady. The guide asked what car used this for its logo. It is, of course, Subaru. The winery had planned and Italian BBQ for today as part of the celebrations but naturally it had been cancelled, so we repaired to our very nice temporary abode and prepared an early supper. We’re now safely ensconced in our motel room watching TV – what else do you do on a very wet Sunday evening?
Tomorrow we’re due to move up to Hamilton, but we’ll have to see which roads are open!
This weekend is the biggest Christian festival in NZ called Parachute (Greenbelt type) and it is taking place at Hamilton. Guess what - festivals equals, tents equals rain, equals mudbath! Val and Claire do you remember Firm Foundations? Well the TV footage showed the site as a river, with water up to knee level, not quite deep enough for baptism but getting that way!
“When the rain comes you run and hide your head” Ok Ron, I’ll let you off, you weren’t being an old softee and just after a comfy bed!
We found a very friendly Presbyterian church (St Paul’s) this morning, with a 9.15 service. It turned out to be the simple informal fore-runner to their main 10.30 service. As we arrived, they greeted us with lovely fresh coffee and a very warm welcome. We were sitting in front of two Trefoil Guild ladies, one also a Brownie Guider! Following the service we came back to the motel ready to be picked up for our wine tour. This weekend is the wine Harvest Festival with all the Hawkes Bay vieyards celebrating in usual antipodean fashion with good music, fabulous food and of course beer- no, sorry wine in abundance
They were collecting us at 1pm and there had been some mention of a NZ$10 platter lunch, so, understandably, we hadn’t eaten. We’d chosen the tour company we were using as they seemed to be visiting the smaller (boutique) wineries rather than the “big boys” which we’d been recommended to do. They did exactly that, and we spent a fascinating afternoon, visiting 4 different boutique wineries and tasting between 6 and 8 wines and sometimes a port as well at each. The “tasters” were only about 1/5 of a large glass ...but when you work it out, we’d still drunk the best part of a bottle or more each by the end of the afternoon..without lunch, as the weather was so bad, no-one seemed to be bothering with their lunches!
As we arrived at the third winery (Salvare) Ron spotted a Morris Oxford which is obviously the owners pride and joy. Our cellar door host Simon was wearing a T shirt with the estate logo on it (The Morris Oxford) and the words “Slow down and enjoy the journey”. Ron and I were very glad when we got there as we both needed the loo; OK too much information...and as they also produce olive oils, balsamic vinegars etc and you were able to taste these as well – along with a reasonable quantity of bread. Phew! Blotting paper!
The “cellar doors”, as the tasting rooms were known, were generally manned by students of Viticulture in the middle of their degrees, which meant, of course, that they were both passionate and very knowledgeable about their wines. I’m not sure they were quite expecting Ron’s technical questions tho!
The last site we visited (Matariki Wines) is named after the Maori name for the star cluster Pleiades. In our party was a young Japanese lady. The guide asked what car used this for its logo. It is, of course, Subaru. The winery had planned and Italian BBQ for today as part of the celebrations but naturally it had been cancelled, so we repaired to our very nice temporary abode and prepared an early supper. We’re now safely ensconced in our motel room watching TV – what else do you do on a very wet Sunday evening?
Tomorrow we’re due to move up to Hamilton, but we’ll have to see which roads are open!
Hi Guys Perhaps your next title should be Down came the rain!!Hope the sun shines soon love T&P
ReplyDeleteAhhaaaaaaaaaa....... now I know what Subaru is in Maori, interesting and educational thanks Mum & Ron. Good blog :) J&Dx
ReplyDeleteFeared you'd had substantial rain! An ex Kent Guider now lives round that way in NZ and her Facebook comments about the roads and rain made interesting reading!!! Glad you kept dry! This Guiding / Scouting lark gets everywhere doesn't it!!
ReplyDeleteT & P - see next blog! you're mind reading
ReplyDelete